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The chief executive of South East Water, David Hinton, has taken a significant step by forgoing his bonus for the 2025-2026 year. This decision comes in response to 'unacceptable outages' that affected thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex, leaving them without access to tap water.Hinton appeared before the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, where he acknowledged the serious impact of the outages on customers. He stated that he would only receive his £400,000 salary, foregoing an additional 'performance payment'. This move is seen as an act of penitence for the company's failures.The outages occurred in Tunbridge Wells in November and December, and again in January across Kent and Sussex. These incidents left customers unable to shower, bathe, or flush their toilets, causing widespread inconvenience. In one town, half of the customers were stockpiling bottled water in anticipation of future incidents.Hinton apologized to customers, stating: 'We recognise the serious impact this has had on our customers and know that we fell short of what is expected of us.' He also admitted that he had not communicated quickly enough during the outages, saying: 'I got it wrong and that's very much a lesson that we've learned into the playbook of how we handle future events.'The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) reported that the outages were foreseeable, and Hinton agreed with this assessment. The company's executives faced criticism from MPs, with the Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst expressing frustration over the lack of accountability.Despite the criticism, the board of South East Water has given its backing to Hinton and the executive team, with chair Chris Train stating that they are the 'right solution for delivering what is best for South East Water customers'. However, confidence in the company's ability to provide reliable water services has plummeted, with a survey suggesting that 54% of affected customers are now stockpiling bottled water, and nearly a fifth are exclusively drinking bottled water.

Dianna Russini, a prominent NFL reporter for The Athletic, has resigned from her position amid an investigation into photos of her with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. The images, published by The New York Post, show Russini and Vrabel together at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona, and have sparked speculation about their relationship.Russini maintained that her interactions with Vrabel were platonic and taken out of context. She expressed frustration with the media frenzy surrounding the photos, stating that it was 'unmoored from the facts' and had caused significant damage to her career.In a letter to The Athletic's executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, Russini said she had covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout her career. She chose to resign before her contract expired on June 30, rather than allowing the situation to continue and potentially harm her reputation further.The Athletic initially defended Russini, with Ginsberg stating that the images lacked context and depicted public interactions among multiple people. However, the outlet expanded its review after additional reporting raised questions about Russini's coverage of Vrabel and the nature of their relationship.Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including SportsCenter anchor, NFL analyst, and insider. Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player with New England, is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots.

Kevin Warsh, the former Federal Reserve governor chosen by Donald Trump to lead the central bank, has submitted financial disclosures indicating he holds assets worth well over $100m. This disclosure is a required step for his nomination to advance through the Senate.The document, filed with the US Office of Government Ethics, reveals that Warsh has significant investments, including two worth more than $50m each in the Juggernaut Fund LP and $10.2m in consulting fees from Stanley Druckenmiller's investment office. He has also pledged to divest certain assets if confirmed.Warsh's holdings include around two dozen investments in THSDFS LLC, some valued as high as $5m, as well as assets in artificial intelligence and crypto sectors. His spouse, Jane Lauder, whose family has interests in the Estée Lauder cosmetics company, also had holdings disclosed.The filing is a key step in Warsh's expected confirmation to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair, though the timing remains uncertain. A Senate banking committee hearing has yet to be scheduled, and Republican lawmakers have vowed to block his confirmation until a Department of Justice investigation into Powell is concluded.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that peace talks between the US and Iran could potentially resume in Islamabad within the next two days. He expressed his appreciation for Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as doing a 'great job' in facilitating the negotiations.Trump made these comments while speaking to a New York Post reporter who had been in Islamabad for the initial round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. The president suggested that the talks could take place in Islamabad, stating, 'You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there.'The possible resumption of talks comes after a period of heightened tensions, including a US naval blockade on ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf. This move was a response to Iran's near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz to ships using other Gulf ports. The blockade led to a spike in oil prices, which later dipped to about $95 per barrel following reports of potential new negotiations.Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance has expressed openness to further talks, emphasizing the need for Iran to show more flexibility. Vance noted that Iran had shown some flexibility in Islamabad but 'didn't move far enough' on key issues, such as a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment.An Iranian official accused the US delegation of making 'maximalist demands' at the Islamabad talks, asserting that Iran would not surrender its positions either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. The sticking points include Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and its demand for a shorter moratorium on uranium enrichment.Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, is set to embark on a regional tour to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar to garner support for the peace process and discuss proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, his trip may be shortened if negotiations resume promptly.

West Bromwich Albion is facing a potential points deduction that could lead to their relegation from the Championship after the season has ended. The club is contesting charges of breaching the English Football League's (EFL) profit and sustainability (P&S) rules, specifically an alleged breach of the £39m loss limit in the three-year period culminating in the 2024-25 season.The EFL's sanctioning guidelines state that any punishment for a P&S breach must be applied in the campaign after it took place. However, the rulebook does not provide a definitive cutoff point for the end of the season, creating uncertainty about when the punishment would be applied.West Brom's situation is complicated by their current relegation battle in the Championship. With four games remaining, they are two points clear of third-bottom Oxford United. A small points deduction could send them down to League One.The EFL has until the end of the season to conclude the case, but the exact timing is unclear. Possible dates include the final round of league games on May 2, the Championship playoff final on May 23, or even the publication of next season's fixtures on June 25.In a similar case, Derby County was fined £100,000 and later docked 21 points for P&S breaches and entering administration, resulting in relegation. West Brom insists it has complied with P&S rules despite recorded combined losses of £55.6m since 2022.The dispute centers on the treatment of interest payments on loans taken out during the sale process of the club. West Brom is determined to fight the charges, and any sporting sanction imposed would likely lead to an appeal with significant legal ramifications.

Israeli ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor publicly rebuked far‑right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich for a recent tirade aimed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stating that the remarks “erode the memory of the Holocaust.”Smotrich invoked Nazi‑era language, claiming Merz should bow and apologize repeatedly, and likened the Hamas attackers of October 7, 2023 to all Palestinians, prompting widespread condemnation.The controversy follows Merz’s outspoken criticism of Israel’s settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and his call for a halt to Israeli military exports that could be used in Gaza, underscoring a deepening diplomatic rift.Prosor stressed that political debate with Germany is legitimate but affirmed that Merz remains “a great friend of Israel” and that Germany continues to be Israel’s “number one friend” despite occasional disagreements.Berlin frames Israel’s security as a cornerstone of its post‑Holocaust foreign policy, yet recent months have seen Israeli officials bristling at even cautious German criticism, especially regarding settlement projects and the prospect of a de facto annexation of the West Bank.Senior analyst Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group warned that Israel’s repeated attacks on German statements defending Palestinian rights risk alienating its strongest European ally, urging Berlin to reassess its support for policies that conflict with its own human‑rights standards.

The arrest of Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Kuwaiti national and US-born journalist, has sparked fears about the erosion of free speech in Kuwait and the wider Middle East. Shihab-Eldin, who has worked for prominent outlets like PBS, HuffPost, and Al Jazeera English, was detained on March 3 during a visit to Kuwait. Shihab-Eldin's reporting focused on a friendly fire incident on March 2, where Kuwaiti air defenses shot down three US planes, fortunately without any pilot casualties. He published footage of a US F-15E Strike Eagle crashing in al Jahra, west of Kuwait City, and described local residents assisting the crew in a civilian truck. Campaigners worry that Shihab-Eldin might face charges under new security laws being introduced in Kuwait, possibly in a new security court. These laws have been criticized for restricting publicity about attacks on infrastructure and allowing the government to label certain reporting as terrorism. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed concern over Shihab-Eldin's detention, highlighting a broader trend of escalating censorship of journalists and news outlets across the world related to the Iran war. Sara Qudah, CPJ's Middle East regional director, stated, 'We are seeing escalating censorship of journalists and news outlets across the world in relation to the Iran war... He must be freed immediately.' Kuwait has recently passed laws that define terrorism broadly and propose significant fines and sentences for publishing statements that could weaken confidence in military entities. The country has also been using citizenship laws to expel alleged dissidents and has withdrawn visas for Iraqi citizens following protests. The detention of Shihab-Eldin and these new laws reflect a wider crackdown on dissent in Kuwait and the Gulf region. Critics argue that these measures are transforming Kuwait into a police state that suppresses dissenting opinions and imprisons those who express them.

The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is having an unintended consequence: the creation of 'workslop'. Workslop refers to the flawed or inaccurate work generated by AI that needs to be heavily corrected, cleaned up, or completely redone. This phenomenon is causing frustration and decreased productivity among employees, who are often pressured by their employers to use AI to produce more work.Ken, a copywriter for a large cybersecurity firm, is one example of an employee struggling with workslop. After his company implemented AI chatbots, Ken found that the initial drafts were easy to create, but the rewriting and correction process was time-consuming and laborious. In fact, Ken and his coworkers had to spend more time rewriting and correcting errors than if they had never used AI at all.A recent survey of 5,000 white-collar US workers found a significant disconnect between employees and executives when it comes to AI. While 92% of high-level executives believe that AI makes them more productive, 40% of non-managers say that AI saves them no time at all. This disparity highlights the challenges of implementing AI in the workplace and the need for clearer mandates and use cases.The driving force behind workslop is complex and multifaceted. Companies have invested billions in enterprise AI, and some have laid off human workers, attributing the cuts to AI's potential productivity. However, workers who remain feel pressured to use AI to produce more work, often with little guidance or training. This has led to a situation where employees are outsourcing judgment to chatbots, with unclear consequences.Researchers have found that 40% of workers encounter workslop within a month, and spend an average of 3.4 hours a month dealing with it. This translates to significant lost productivity and costs for organizations. To address this issue, experts recommend that companies provide clearer mandates and use cases for AI, as well as more worker input and control over how the technology is used.

Nicky Henderson, 75, has spent nearly five decades shaping British racing, yet the saga of his star gelding Constitution Hill still makes him pause. After a sun‑lit afternoon in Lambourn, the trainer watched the usually placid horse stroll into his stable, a stark contrast to the drama that has defined the horse’s recent career.Henderson, speaking alongside owner Michael Buckley, emphasized the personal bond they share with the animal, calling him “more a pal than a beast” and noting his unique appeal to the public.Constitution Hill burst onto the scene with a ten‑race winning streak, highlighted by a dominant 2023 Champion Hurdle victory at Cheltenham. Experts briefly hailed him as one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, lauding his speed and precision over obstacles.That dominance vanished almost overnight. The gelding began to experience what Henderson likened to a golfer’s “yips”, falling in three of his last four hurdle races. Even a race at Punchestown where he stayed upright ended in a “disconcertingly tame display”, according to Timeform, which had previously ranked him the best hurdler of recent decades.Plans for a Cheltenham return were scrapped, and the team pivoted to flat racing. Constitution Hill delivered two striking victories at Southwell and Kempton in early 2026, drawing crowds of all ages. Henderson said the flat races felt like a “glorious celebration”, and the horse’s performance on the flat has been “brilliant”.His newfound flat success has sparked global interest. Henderson received invitations from racetracks worldwide, though he dismissed wild speculation about the Melbourne Cup as “the least likely of the lot”. Instead, a more measured approach is being considered, with the John Porter Stakes at Newbury on the agenda if the ground suits.“It’s not everybody’s idea of the most sensible race for him,” Henderson admitted, but added that a second year of racing could still be on the cards. He stressed that the horse’s safety and public enjoyment remain paramount.When asked why Constitution Hill lost his jumping confidence, Henderson cited several factors, including the introduction of new padded hurdles, which the horse disliked. He also mentioned a series of well‑meaning consultants—from Australian “gurus” to renowned equestrian coach Yogi Breisner—none of whom could reverse the decline.Despite the setbacks, the horse’s flat form has been a commercial boon. Henderson reported an 800% surge in ticket sales at Southwell compared with the previous year, illustrating the public’s fascination with the “ridiculous horse that can’t stand up”.Looking ahead, Henderson is entertaining a range of international options: the French Prix du Cadran, the Irish St Leger, and even potential programs in Germany and the United States. Yet he remains realistic about travel logistics, noting that Constitution Hill requires companion horses for long trips.In the trainer’s words, “You’ve got to have fun,” and with Constitution Hill’s current trajectory, the aim is to bring that joy back to racing while navigating the horse’s unique needs and the sport’s evolving landscape.